Molded plastic receptacle hinge



P. J. GRAHAM MOLDED PLASTIC BECEPTACLE HINGE Original Filed April 28, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Flys.

Philip I GRahCLTn.

June a, 1948. P, GRAHA 2,442,873

MOLDED PLASTIC RECEPTACLE HINGE Original Filed April 28. 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A Pym.

n-.. m pl L I .74 I m 75 Q 76 75 77 77 1 Philip J: Grqham in team Patented June 8, 1948 UNlED STATES PATENT OFFICE MOLDED PLASTIC RECEPTACLE HINGE Philip J. Graham, Worcester, Mass., assignor,

by mesne assignments, to Trig Corporation, Worcester, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Original application April 28, 1944, Serial No.

Divided and this application March 17, 1945, Serial No. 583,200

volved in securing the hinge to the molded mate- Y rial. It is desirable that the two parts of the receptacle be so constructed that the two pivotal portions of the hinge may be readily shaped in the initial molding operation and without requiring further machining or other treatment of the parts. Also, the hinge structure should be capable of quick assembly without requiring supplemental rivets and other permanent fasteners. For some purposes, the cover should be held resiliently in either a closed or an open position.

The primary object of this invention is to overcome such problems and to provide a plastic receptacle structure having hinge bearings which may be readily made by an initial injection or other suitable molding operation, and wherein a supplemental locking element may be conveniently and readily assembled and interlocked with the pivoted hinge portions to hold the parts in place- A further object is to provide a hinged structure of the above type in which the locking element provides a, required resiliency which will hold the receptacle cover in either a closed or an open position.

Another object is to provide a construction wherein the locking member is substantially wholly concealed from view and the receptacle presents a neat and pleasing appearance.

Another object is to provide a construction in which the locking element is concealed from view and may be readily assembled in an irremovable condition so that the box cover is held permanently in place. Other objects will be apparent in the following disclosure.

In accordance with my invention I have made a molded plastic container and cover therefor which are so shaped as to provide interfitting pivotal bearing parts, such as a concave bearing groove on either the container or the cover which forms a seat for an opposed knuckle on the other part. In order to hold the cover secured to the container, I provide a resilient locking member which is pivotally connected to the cover and interlocks with a shoulder on the container wall.

Referring to the drawings illustrating various embodiments of the invention:

5 Claims. (01. 220-31) Fig. 1 is a vertical longitudinal section taken 'on the line l--l of Fig. 2 which shows one form of a resiliently locked hinge structure;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the structure of the receptacle;

Fig. 3 is a partly broken away section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view of the resilient locking element;

Fig. 5 is a view of the structure of Fig. 3, wherein the container has a skirt arranged to conceal the hinge lock;

Fig. 6 is a similar view corresponding to Fig. 1 but with the skirt arrangement;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing a reversal of the hinge parts with the knuckle on the container; I

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary end elevation of the structuer of Fig. 7; y Fig. 9 is a fragmentary sectional detail of a receptacle of the type shown in Fig. 5 but wherein the pivot of the locking element is concentric I with the knuckle;

Fig. 10 is an end elevation of the box of Fig. 11; Fig. 11 is a vertical section on the line I I--l I of Fig. 10 showing a construction of the general type of Fig. 7 but wherein the locking element is concealed within a groove within thecontainer wall;

Fig. 12 is a fragmentary section taken on the line I2-I2 of Fig. 13 showing a pin holding the locking eleinentinposition;

Fig. 1-3 is a cross section on the line i3|3 of Fig. 12;

Fig. 14 is a section on the line l4-l4 of Fig. 15 showing a further modification wherein the locking wire is held within a slot in the container wall;

Fig. 15 is a section on the line l5-l5 of Fig.'14;

Fig. 16 is an enlarged fragmentary detail taken on the line IB-IG of Fig. 14;

Fig, 17 is a rear elevation of the receptacle which has two spaced knuckles on the cover held in place by a locking wire on the outside of the container;

Fig. 18 is a section on the line Iii-I8 of Fig. 1'7; and

Fig. 19 is a perspective view of a modified form of locking element. Y

Although the structure may be made of various materials, such as wood, metal and glass, I have illustrated a special type of receptacle particu larly adapted to the structure shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive which is of molded plastic adapted for carrying jewelry or other suitable material in which the container l0 and the cover H of 'desired shapes are formed as separate pieces by tensive resilient portion or .cross bar l9.

3 means of suitable molding operations. The rear wall of the container III is provided with a concave bear groove or socket I! which opens upwardly and serves as a seat for a partially cylindrical, convex knuckle I 4 formed as an integral part ofthe cover. The wall may be thickened to provide sufficient bearing surface for the knuckle: and as shown this is accomplished b providing a shelf l5 extending partway across the box and having its outer wall merging with the box wall. The knuckle and the concave bearing parts need extend only partway across the length of the container and the associated cover as illustrated in Fig. 2. The knuckle projects rearwardly from the cover and below the plane of the contacting bottom wall of the cover and the top of the container rim. The faces of the container and the cover may be shaped as desired.

able resilient material, such as a spring steel wire,

arranged to urge the knuckle Joint parts together. As shown separately in Fig. 4, this may comprise merely a single substantially U-shaped spring wire having two side arms terminating in inwardly turned pivot ends I8 and connected by an ex- The pivots l8 are arranged to be inserted into axially aligned sockets 20 suitably formed in the parallel ends of the knuckles I4. The resilient portion 19 of the wire locking member is shaped to inter lock with the bottom face of a narrow lug or shoulder 22 provided by a recess within box wall the skirt and container. To assemble the parts. the locking wire pivots are first insertedsinto the holes of the downwardly projecting bearin knuckle of the cover. Then the cover is put into a bearing position. and the resilient part'l9ot the lock wire is inserted through the slot. and readily forced into position beneath the locking lug 22.

. cover ll.

knuckle axis.

above described with reference to Figs. 5 and 6.

or 9. lug on the outside wall of the container 10. i

The locking lug is so positioned that the lock wire is held bent under a resilient tension which serves to draw the knuckle securelyinto bearing contact with the groove l2. The locking element is restrained from lateral movement by the fact that the bottom face of the lug 22 is slightly concaved. Endwise movement of the wire part is prevented by the two vertical shoulders 24 on the outside of the projecting shelf IS. The arms, pivot ends and cross bar of the U-shaped wire lie substantially in a plane which is parallel with the hinge axis.

A further feature of the invention involves so arranging the parts that the cover may be held resiliently in either a closed or an open position. To this end, the lock pivots l8 and sockets 20 are located eccentrically relative to the hinge axis as shown in Figs. 1 and 3.. when the box cover is closed, as shown in Fig. 1, the wire pivots are inside of a vertical plane through the hinge axis.

When the box cover is opened the pivots pass across to the left of the center line, and thus the resiliency of the stretched wire portion is serves to hold the cover in the open position, as indicated in Fig. 5. The structure is such that no lock is required to hold the cover closed.

As shown in the modification of Figs. 5 and 6, the knuckle joint and lock may be concealed by a flange or skirt 28 that surrounds the outer box wall. This flange. may project downwardly below the bottom of the receptacle and thus form a standard for the latter.- In that structure, the clamping hinge lock is located in the downwardly opening recess between the skirt and the container; but the lock is arranged as above described on the outside of the container. In order that the hinge lock may be assembled readily, a narrow slot 21 is formed in the part connectin The hinge parts may be reversed in position, as

container 32 and the concave bearing groove 33 is formed as the lower face of a projection 34 of the The lock wire [6 is shaped 'as shown in Fig. 4, and its ends l8 are inserted into aligned holes in the opposite parallel surfaces or ends of the projection or lug 34 of the cover, which are preferably so located that when the cover is closed the center of the piv.,ots I8 is slightly to the right of the knuckle 30. When the box cover is opened far enough the pivots I! pass across that dead center line and hold the cover open. The shelf 3| is provided with a shoulder 38 just to the left of the bearing knuckle 30 so that the'rear bottom end of the cover will strike that shelf and prevent the cover from going too far when opened.

The construction of Fig. 9 is one in which the bearing ends I8 of the lockwire l6 are mounted in pivot sockets 40 which are concentric with the The construction is otherwise as In this construction the lock wire merely holds the cover in position and does not hold it in the closed or opened positions. as above described. It, however, serves as a resilient member which insures that the bearing parts remain always securely in place. In that type of box a, suitable lock may be provided as 'desired tohold the cover closed. I Y

The constructions as above described are such that the lock wire may be readily removed. For some purposes it'is desirable to secure the lock wire permanently in place and to accomplish this as well as toconceal the wire I have provided the constructions of Figs. 10 and 11. In this arrangement the rear wall 42 of the container is made sufficiently thick so that it may be made bifurcated .to provide a vertical slot 43 of a width capable of carrying the wire lock i6. This slot may taper somewhat so that the wire may move laterally at its upper portion as the pivot ends l8 of the wire pass over the dead center line. This wire may be held in place by various means and as shown this comprises a pin 44 of plastic material or other suitable substance which is driven into the box wall after the wire has been assembled and in contact with the portion I! of the wire. The construction maybe otherwise as described above with reference to Figs. 7 and 8 wherein the knuckle 45 is in this instance formed as a part or the lower box wall. The box cover II is provided with a concave bearing vsurface 46 on the lug 41 projecting centrally from the rear end of the cover. The wire l6 strikes the front wall of the slot 43 when the wherein the wire i8 is held in a slot 50 in the rear box wall by 8. lug or pin 52. As shown, the knuckle 54 isformed as a part of the cover II and rides in a bearing socket 55 formed by concaving the top rear wall of the container on the opposite sides of the slot 50, as shown. To permit assembly of the wire the cover is provided with a slot 56 on its inner portion. The construction may be otherwise substantially as described above.

In the construction shownin Figs. 14, 15 and 16, the resilient wire 60 is shaped as shown in Fig. 4 except that it is provided with the barbs 6|. The wire 60 is mounted in a vertical slot 62 in the container wall which may be shaped as above described with reference to Figs. 12 and 13. The cover II is provided with a centrally located knuckle 64 and the wire 60 has its inwardly turned ends 65 projecting into aligned eccentric openings or bearing sockets in the knuckle- The cover is furthermore provided ed with a slot 66 which slopes downwardly from the inner face of the cover to the bottom there of so as to aid in assembling the wire. After the pivot ends of the wire have been inserted into the aligned bearing sockets of the knuckle the wire is pushed down into the slot 62 by means of a tool thrust through the slot 66 and the barbed ends 6| are caused to spring the resilient box walls somewhat and thus to be forced into substantially the bottom of the channel of the slot 62. These barbs 6|, however, resist any withdrawal of the wire since they dig into the plastic body material and form their own looking shoulders in the slot walls. This construction, therefore, is one in which the wire'is sub stantially wholly concealed except at a very small portion adjacent to the inwardly turned ends 65 and the wire is not removable so that the parts are permanently assembled.

The construction in Figs. 17 and 18 shows how similar arrangements may be made in which the wire lock has its ends 1| turned outwardly instead of inwardly. cover 12 has an outwardly sloping rear wall terminating in two spaced knuckles 14. The lower half of the receptacle is provided with thickened portions I5 beneath the knuckles which flare outwardly and are shaped at their tops to form the concave bearing groove 16. A centrally proiecting locking lug ll serves to hold the horizontal portion of the Wire 10 in position the same as in the construction of Fig. 1. The skirt shown in Fig. 5 may be added to any of these constructions without change in the nature of this invention.

In the construction of Fig. 19 the locking wire 80 is provided with an inwardly turned hook 8| which is arranged tointerlock with the bottom of the receptacle or within a recess formed in the wall of the receptacle. In such constructions the locking shoulder is formed by the bottom of the box itself or by the under surface of the recess or notch cut or otherwise fashioned in the vertical wall of the receptacle. Hence this shoulder may be considered as located on or as accessible from the exterior of the box.

It will now be appreciated that in accordance with this invention I have provided a very simple hinge construction for a. molded plastic receptacle in which the hinge is formed solely of the plastic material and wherein the hinge parts are held assembled by means of a spring lock which may be either removably or lrremovably assembled. .In the constructions of Figs. 1 to 9 In this arrangement the A 6 inclusive, l1 and I8, the locking element is secured on the outside of the box and may be readily removed. In the remaining constructions the lock is permanently held in place in concealing recesses. However, in all of these constructions 'the lock is a resilient member that the plastic bearing surfaces are urged into contact. Similarly-this condition is determined by the position of the pin 52 (Fig. 12) or how far the barbed arms of Fig. 16 are thrust into the recess 62. I may have the bearing surfaces made as large as desired to provide a. non-wearable bearing surface. Any wear of the plastic material caused by the pivot ends I8 of the lock wire will, however, not permit the bearing to become loosened since the resiliency in the wire will take up for any wear of the parts. Thus the box hinge will give a long life of useful service. Many other advantages will be readily apparent to one skilled in the art of making molded plastic receptacles. It will also be evident that various constructional changes may be made in the article and that equivalent parts may be substituted for those above described. Hence the drawings and description thereof are to' be interpreted as illustrating the general principles of this invention and my preferred embodiments and not as imposing limitations on the claims appended hereto.

This case is a division of my copending application, Serial No. 533,191, filed April 28, 1944, now Patent Number 2,435,272 dated February 3, 1948.

I claim:

1. A receptacle comprising a container and a cover formed of moulded plastic material, one part having a knuckle and the other part a bearing surface for the knuckle which form the sole hinge for the cover, one Of said parts having axially aligned pivot sockets, the other part having a bifurcated hinge wall providing a recess which opens near the knuckle and the opposed bearing surface, a substantially U-shaped locking member having connected arms mounted in and pro- Jecting from the recess which terminate in pivot ends mounted in said sockets, said arms and pivot ends lying substantially in a plane parallel with the hinge axis, and means which secures said member within the recess and urges the knuckle into contact with the bearing surface.

2. A receptacle comprising a container and a cover hinged thereto which are formed of moulded plastic material, said cover having a knuckle provided with axially aligned pivot sockets, the container having a bifurcated hinge wall shaped to form a concave bearing surface interfitting with the knuckle and providing an upwardly opening recess which opens near and is substantially concealed by the knuckle, a substantially U-shaped member having arms terminating in axially aligned pivots mounted in said sockets and connected by a resilient cross bar, the arms,

bar and pivots lying substantially in a plane parallel with the hinge axis, said connected arms and bar being slidably mounted'in the recess, and locking means in the recess which secures the bar lrremovably therein and urges the knuckle against said bearing surface.

3. A receptacle according to claim 2 in which the U-shaped member has a barb engaging a side wall or the recess and holding the member permanently positioned therein.

4. A receptacle according to claim 2 in which. the pivot sockets are spaced laterally on the hinge axis and the cross bar is resilient, so that the cover is urged into an open or a closed pohaving two connected arms terminating in axially aligned pivots mounted in said sockets, said arms being mounted substantially. wholly in the 8 recess and positioned by engagement with the adjacent walls thereof, the arms and pivots lyin substantially in a plane which is parallel with the hinge axis, and locking means which secures said member in the recess and prevents outward movement of the pivots and the cover.

PHILIP J. GRAHAM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:.

UNITED STATES PATENT Number Name Date 1,740,866 McBarron Dec. 24, 1929 1,936,465 Whitlock Nov. 21, 1933 1,950,465 Whitlock Mar. 13, 1934 2,050,896 Post Aug. 11, 1936 2,124,300 Houlihan July 19, 1938 2,126,049 Shiflman et a1 Aug. 9, 1938 2,303,147 Tinnerman Nov. 24, 1942 Socke et al Mar. 13, 1945 

